Author: Tim McTiernan

UFC 177 Results: What’s Next for Henry Cejudo?

Henry Cejudo is a former Olympic gold medalist. He won gold in 2008 in Beijing for wrestling in the freestyle 55kg division. He went back for the Olympic trials in 2012 but didn’t make it. He retired on the mat by removing his shoes and tossing them to…

Henry Cejudo is a former Olympic gold medalist. He won gold in 2008 in Beijing for wrestling in the freestyle 55kg division. He went back for the Olympic trials in 2012 but didn’t make it. He retired on the mat by removing his shoes and tossing them to the crowd.

In early 2013, he announced plans to begin training for MMA, and he made his debut in March 2013 at bantamweight. He won that fight by submission to punches in just about 90 seconds.

He racked up a record of 6-0 before being signed to the UFC in the flyweight division. He was set to face Scott Jorgensen at UFC 177 on Saturday night, but less than four hours before the weigh-ins Friday, Cejudo was forced to drop out of the fight due to a medical issue related to his weight cut.

This wasn’t the first time that Cejudo had trouble making weight, as he attempted to make flyweight in his previous two fights in Legacy FC but came in at 128 pounds both times.

UFC President Dana White had a lot to deal with on weigh-in day, with Cejudo dropping out of his fight as well as Renan Barao dropping out of his, and he was not inclined to cut Cejudo much slack.

White said of Cejduo: 

“He’s got a history of doing this. It’s not his first time, and if he stays at that weight, it won’t be his last. He can come back and try at a heavier weight or not try again.”

Essentially, White is saying that Cejudo has to move to bantamweight or he is not welcome back in the UFC.

Cejudo might be able to convince White to give him another shot at flyweight, as he did wrestle at 121 pounds for the Olympics. He would have to make a compelling case to White, or maybe just hire someone like Mike Dolce to make sure he is able to make weight.

However, if Dana doesn’t budge, then Cejudo will have a whole new UFC division to consider.

The bantamweight division is extremely competitive, and throwing a high-caliber wrestler like Cejudo into the mix will add a whole new dimension.

Cejudo will have the ability to take on guys like Urijah Faber, Dominick Cruz, Barao and more. There are a number of opponents he could take on for his first fight who could earn him a lot of respect in the division.

The bantamweight division is arguably stronger than the flyweight division, and Cejudo may be able to rise up the ranks of that division faster than the flyweight division.

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UFC 177 Results: 3 Fights for Joe Soto to Take Next

Joe Soto stepped up in a huge way Saturday night. Friday before the weigh-ins, Soto was supposed to face Anthony Birchak on the undercard. Then, when Renan Barao was forced to pull out of the fight, Soto stepped up to face the champion, TJ Dillashaw, o…

Joe Soto stepped up in a huge way Saturday night. Friday before the weigh-ins, Soto was supposed to face Anthony Birchak on the undercard. Then, when Renan Barao was forced to pull out of the fight, Soto stepped up to face the champion, TJ Dillashaw, on little more than 24 hours’ notice.

Soto came absolutely ready to fight, and although Dillashaw won the first four rounds on all three judges’ scorecards, it was by no means a blowout.

In the fifth, Dillashaw landed a head kick to end a long combination and earn a knockout win.

While Soto did lose, his stock went way up following this fight. It’s highly likely he’ll be ranked in the top 10 when the updated rankings are released.

That opens up a wealth of opportunities for his next fight, so let’s check out three potential fights.

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UFC 177 Results: 3 Fights for Bethe Correia to Take Next

On Saturday night, Bethe Correia squared off against Shayna Baszler on the main card of UFC 177. The two had a highly entertaining fight that ended by TKO in the second after Correia landed a flurry of punches up against the cage.
Correia is now 9-0 in…

On Saturday night, Bethe Correia squared off against Shayna Baszler on the main card of UFC 177. The two had a highly entertaining fight that ended by TKO in the second after Correia landed a flurry of punches up against the cage.

Correia is now 9-0 in her career and 3-0 in the UFC with one finish. Correia was hoping to take down the “Four Horsewomen”, which consists of Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, Marina Shafir and Ronda Rousey. Correia has beaten Baszler and Duke but likely won’t face Shafir, who is a featherweight in a regional organization right now.

Additionally, according to Dana White, Correia is not necessarily next in line for a title shot, meaning the final two Horsewomen will have to wait.

In the meantime, let’s check out three other fights for Correia to take.

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UFC 177 Results: 3 Fights for TJ Dillashaw to Take Next

On Saturday night, T.J. Dillashaw looked to defend his UFC bantamweight title for the first time against former Bellator bantamweight champion Joe Soto at UFC 177. Dillashaw had originally been scheduled to face the former champion, Renan Bar…

On Saturday night, T.J. Dillashaw looked to defend his UFC bantamweight title for the first time against former Bellator bantamweight champion Joe Soto at UFC 177. Dillashaw had originally been scheduled to face the former champion, Renan Barao, but Barao was forced to pull out just hours before the weigh-ins Friday.

Soto was definitely game, as he was able to keep up with Dillashaw and was never really out of the fight until the fifth round. About halfway through the final frame, Dillashaw ended a long combination with a right head kick that simply dropped Soto. One more punch was all it took, and the fight was over.

That marks Dillashaw‘s second straight fifth-round finish and also makes him the only fighter in UFC history with two fifth-round finishes.

Dillashaw is now on a three-fight win streak and has several interesting options for his next title defense. According to Dana White, Barao is not an option, but let’s check out three other choices for Dillashaw‘s next fight.

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UFC 178: Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier Head-to-Toe Breakdown

On September 27 in Las Vegas, Demetrious Johnson will put his flyweight title on the line against No. 8-ranked flyweight Chris Cariaso. In the co-main event, perennial lightweight contender Donald Cerrone will face off against UFC newcomer and for…

On September 27 in Las Vegas, Demetrious Johnson will put his flyweight title on the line against No. 8-ranked flyweight Chris Cariaso. In the co-main event, perennial lightweight contender Donald Cerrone will face off against UFC newcomer and former Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez.

While those are two big fights in terms of importance in each division, the third fight on the main card may have more people talking going into it.

That fight is a featherweight matchup between No. 9-ranked Conor McGregor and No. 5-ranked Dustin Poirier.

McGregor came into the UFC with a huge amount of hype behind him. Thus far, he has delivered. He is 3-0 and hasn’t really been in trouble yet inside the Octagon.

Meanwhile, Poirier has won three straight, including two finishes, ever since dropping a unanimous decision to Cub Swanson in February 2013.

A win for either would put them in serious title contention, so let’s check out an early head-to-toe breakdown. 

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UFC Fight Night 48 Results: What’s Next for Cung Le?

On Saturday morning, Cung Le returned to the Octagon following a nearly two-year absence to face off against middleweight contender Michael Bisping.
Le had been on a two-fight win streak, both back in 2012, as he scored a unanimous decision over one-ti…

On Saturday morning, Cung Le returned to the Octagon following a nearly two-year absence to face off against middleweight contender Michael Bisping.

Le had been on a two-fight win streak, both back in 2012, as he scored a unanimous decision over one-time middleweight title challenger Patrick Cote and followed that up with a first-round knockout over a former middleweight champion in Rich Franklin. That knockout over Franklin also earned Le a Knockout of the Night bonus.

Bisping came into this fight following a five-round unanimous decision loss to Tim Kennedy back in April. Bisping has been unable to win two straight since 2011 and was 2-3 in his last five going into his fight against Le.

Le had success in the first round against Bisping, but in the second, Bisping landed a shot that badly damaged Le’s eye, and it swelled up very badly. After that happened, Bisping was able to fight his fight, utilizing quick combos and good footwork to land punches in bunches.

Le continued to fire back with body shots and attempted spinning kicks and other strikes, but it was never enough to put Bisping in danger.

In the fourth round, Bisping kept up a fast pace and landed an impressive combo 57 seconds into the round. He landed a knee up against the cage and Le fell down. Bisping only had to land a few more shots after that before the fight was over.

After the fight, Le said that he wanted to continue fighting, so there’s still a chance of it, but when he gets back in the cage is a huge question.

Le is now 9-3 in MMA and is 42 years old with a solid film career. This year, he starred in a film called Puncture Wounds alongside Dolph Lundgren. In addition to that, he was a “mentor” on The Ultimate Fighter: China as well as a head coach.

Le says that he wants to fight again, and should he get that opportunity, he could face off against any number of fighters. Guys like Tim Boetsch and Mark Munoz would make solid opponents, but if he takes another two years off, there could be a whole new crop of fighters that he may want to face.

If Le decides to go more towards acting rather than fighting, maybe he could get a role in The Expendables 4, which essentially has already been confirmed.

Former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Randy Couture has appeared in all three Expendables movies so far, Ronda Rousey appeared in the most recent one, and having a third UFC fighter in the series would be pretty cool for fans to see.

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